The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1887-12-30

characteristics were revived
with intensity.
..But they moved down Ter Pond
willie the mex spring after they wuz
married." said Migdol. IAN we hain't |
seen 'cm scnce.'
Guess 20 wux sort o. gone on
Mirandy. yersclf. want YEP" inquired
Dcdham. sIyly. II can recollcct how
70 use ter pnrr round her.
''Oii. you eit out" said Hiram. But
tho saft light in Hiram's eyes and the
faint flush that peepcd through his
grizxlcd whiskrrs bclied his words
III looked powerful like H." said
Dcdhan.. IAN you two young folks use
ter cut up terrible in mcetin' -'spe-
cially durin' the second pray'r. Why.
I've seen sc eatin' apples behind the
origin an maxim faces nj Deacon
Moses Skinner. an writin' notes ter
each other. an a-drawin' picters In
the hymn books. Once We borrered
Noble Pratt's jack-knife ter whittle
picter o. two hearts on the back o the
origin. an ye labeled one on EN- M.
fur Mirandy. an 'tother H. fur
Hiram. DO ye remember it?"
Yes. an Lem Haskell, the good
young man who pumped the origin.
caught We At it," interposed Boylcston;
.san' he said he wuz surprised that two
young folks who had been brought up
in the nurtur an admonition o the
Lord could carry on So"
elem married Hepsy Burdette-
good. lively gal as ever lived. 7 said
Brnttle Street Use ter be mighty
clipper when she fust come inter the
choir. but when she found her fine
cl,'es an ribbins an feathers wuz
a-draggin' her down TO pcrdition, she
gin 'cm to her sister Matildy.'
Hiram remembered this venerable
witticism. and he remembered Hepsy
Burdette and Lem Haskell. too Lem
was troubled with iits-a mild sort d
epilepsy. Between the enfeebled con
dition Of his intellect and his weekly
employment at pumping the organ h
fell into and maintained the pleasing
notion that he himself made all thu
music tho organ emitted.
II And 50 they hummed and Whispered
TO him-thcse old. familiar tunes
the Cn nina: Duke Street and lux
bridge and ..Windham" and dun
dee" and ..Olive's Brow" and ''Ol
mutz'-ay. all these old friends Q
I, Hiram's boy life among III. Vernon
|. hills. They talked with him Of tn
common, the old courthouse. tn
: tavern. the bobbin factory. the spellin
schools. the huskin-becs, the saw-mil
the trout brook. the bnryin' ground 2
;. the hill. oil Gineral Kimbalrs orchard
and the long fiower-bcds in front
y the old hon,estead; and they talked
the times when Hiram went sugari'
= Of, and played hi-spy in the meetin
!. house sheds. and went slidin' dow
i" Hill on moonlight winter evenin's,
Y attended general trainin', and plays
= three-old-cat on the common. al
= chased butterflies in the home LOT, al
y got scolded for tramplin' down q
4 rowen. And as they talked they spol
Of tie war.
.No. we didn't go ter the war
y said Old Rockingham. 'but we ke
? the wimmin folks comply while q
y men an boys wuz away. an l calc'l Ia
we saw grander martyrdom tn
y YOU could ha' found on any o y
= battle-ficlds. The men he'd lots I
:, keep EN- braced up. for there wnz
:" activity o. war. the excitement
change, an the thought o fan
country. an ali that sort o. thing; ,
= the wimmin folks-thcre wuz moth
en fur them ter do but ter wait. an
81 pick lins. an ter pray"
.Thc hills stood guard all round
- said Dedham, ''as much as ter 81
| There sha'n't no sorrcr come TO
"P wimmen folks il we kin keep II ava
=. an il seems rs II they tried to ke
!" their word, too. for the stage 4
IA fetched the mail from Brattleboro al
- broke down two or three tunes on
- road. whenever It had bad news r.
!, the boys who had gone TO the war. "
= .Oh, but how sort O. fierce like
minister use ter read out the hymns
u, them days" said Ortonville; ian h
!, he KEEP fightin' over the battles o
), war in his prayers an sermons
v, .An' how the hull congregation
-. ter ri-e up an sing Praise God fr
vi whom all blessings flow, whene
M there wuz news thai the Green Mou
u ain boys he'd won battle" cried
W. Hundred. proudly.
VA Yes. yes, we must hcv played
60 part in the struggle said Near.
~ EMMY. .'for we helped ter give
a;~ wimmen folks heart-an' it's W
~ mems prayers. tell We. that win J
"a. the battles men fight"
~. The old tune-book was humm
~, and murmuringto Hiram Atkins vi
- he fell asleep. and he drcamt ne
boy again.
80 All around him were the rug'
, ! hills. with their patches Of moss
,ow their brown rocks. that stood out
- ~